Why? my readers ask me. After writing so many books about Dayton’s theaters, inventions and various other pleasurable topics of the city’s past, just why would I turn to such an unsavory topic as murder? Well, to steal a line from the poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant, nothing is more mesmerizing then to read about "the horrid tale of perjury and strife, murder and spoil, which men call history." If that’s the case, then this book is chock full of history.
     The next question is why did I choose these particular crimes? Three common threads bind these ten tragedies together. Each murder takes place in Dayton during the 19th century Each involves at least one murder. And each of the ones responsible for taking the life paid with the loss of his own.
     As with the telling of a story of any importance, different people see different things at the same time. So goes the tales in this book. Nothing is more "have I got a story for you" than being a witness to the crime of murder. Except for the victim, everyone involved tries to enhance their part of the tale. And as time goes by, these black and white stories become more colorful in the telling.
     Add to the fact that reporters ‘enhance’ their stories even more in an effort to sell newspapers and you can understand why it’s sometimes difficult to get the real facts. This being said, I have done my best to tell my tales as accurately as possible, using what means I have at my disposal. The stories unfold as close to the truth I can make them, using a combination of instinct and common sense. Bear this in mind in case you ever come across a yellowed piece of paper that might tell a different version of the tales I’ve told here. While most accounts followed each other quite closely, some were obviously made from whole cloth. An example comes to mind about a reporter in the 1930’s who wrote an account of a murder that had taken place in Dayton over a half century earlier. Although in real life the murderer had hung for his crime, the reporter told of how the killer had served his time in jail, then returned to Dayton and lived out the rest of his life there. I’m sure that in this case there was a deadline to meet, a major witness had gone fishing and the reporter had to finish the story, so he threw in a line at the end that wrapped up the column in a neat bow. He probably took the chance with the thought that most of his readers wouldn’t know any better since almost none of them would have been alive at the time the murder had taken place.
     So remember, if you are interested in finding out more about a particular case written about here, check out the resources in the back of this book and delve into the past yourself. Just make sure to keep an open mind, read everything about the case you can find and don’t hesitate to ask a librarian or the curator of the records for help. In the end, I believe that you will reach the same conclusions I did.
     Enjoy!

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